Takashi Kogure secured his first GT300 class pole position in two years on November 8, 2026, topping the qualifying session for the Super GT eighth round at Mobility Resort Motegi. Piloting the No. 88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 alongside Daniil Kvyat, Kogure set a blistering lap of 1 minute, 45.082 seconds during a dry morning session that decided the starting grid for the afternoon’s 250-kilometer race.
Lamborghini Strikes Late at Motegi
The Motegi weekend operates as a double-header following the postponement of the Sepang round, bringing a compressed schedule with zero success weight for the season finale. Drivers faced a 20-minute timed session rather than the usual knockout format. Dunlop-shod machines initially controlled the upper timing sheets, with the SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT driven by Hideki Yamauchi logging a 1 minute, 45.204 second lap before Ryuichiro Tomita took over the provisional top spot in the No. 11 GAINER TANAX Z with a 1 minute, 45.149 second run.
Shinichi Takagi pushed the No. 96 K-tunes RC F GT3 to second place in the closing minutes with a 1 minute, 45.170 second effort. However, Kogure answered with a late flyer on his fourth warm-up cycle, edging out the field to claim his first pole position since the 2024 fifth round at Suzuka.
Kvyat praised the team’s effort in Japanese following the session, expressing his maximum concentration for the afternoon race.
In the GT500 class qualifying session held earlier on the same day at 10:15, the No. 100 STANLEY HRC PRELUDE-GT driven by Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino captured pole position with a lap time of 1 minute, 36.135 seconds. The No. 36 au TOM’S GR Supra secured second place with a time of 1 minute, 36.413 seconds, meaning the two championship contenders locked out the front row for the final showdown. Makino noted that the single point for pole position carries immense weight after seventeen years of racing, emphasizing the importance of preserving the advantage while continuing to attack until the final lap. The No. 64 Modulo HRC PRELUDE-GT claimed the third position on the grid with a 1 minute, 36.458 second lap recorded by Riki Okusa, marking the final Dunlop-shod appearance for the car and completing a streak of five consecutive pole positions for the Honda HRC Prelude-GT stretching back to the fourth round at Fuji.
Qualifying Results Reshape Title Picture for Final
The qualifying results reshaped the title picture for the afternoon final. The No. 96 K-tunes RC F GT3 team entered the day with 66 points and capitalized on a strong third-place start. Meanwhile, points leader No. 56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R, sitting on 75 points, struggled in traffic and qualified 17th with J.P. de Oliveira at the wheel.
Other title contenders faced similar mid-pack hurdles. The No. 666 seven x seven PORSCHE GT3R EVO lined up 12th, the No. 2 HYPER WATER INGING GR86 GT took 13th, and the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG secured 10th. Stewards handed down penalties prior to the race, including a 50,000 yen fine to Car No. 666 for an unsafe release and a two-grid penalty to Yuya Hiraki of Car No. 62 for a collision.
The 53-lap championship finale began at 14:00 local time at Mobility Resort Motegi.